Epilogue
CASSIE
Two days after my due date, exactly four months after our wedding date, I go into labor.
Tim rushes me to the hospital, where our first born takes their sweet time.
Labor is long. I’m scared. At several points, I wonder if I can even do this.
But every step of the way Tim is at my side, holding my hand and whispering words of encouragement.
Reminding me how strong I am. Reminding me how proud he is. How I only have a little more to go.
Relief floods my veins when it’s finally over. Our baby is rushed to a table where measurements and stats are recorded. And moments later a bundled baby is returned to my arms.
“Breathe, Daddy. Mama and baby are perfectly healthy.” One of the nurses notices my husband’s pale face. “Go meet your son.”
Tim’s forehead is lined with worry. But as soon as his gaze meets mine, the tightness in his jaw loosens. His eyes sparkle with emotion as they land on the swaddled baby in my arms.
“Isn’t he perfect?” I ask.
“A boy?” He clears his throat and wipes away a tear before it can fall. “We have a son?” He doesn’t have to explain the disbelief in his words. I’m right there with him. After everything we’ve been through, it’s surreal.
“Yeah.” Physically I’m spent. My body feels every second of the thirty hours of labor I’ve endured.
But in spite of all that, a stillness settles around my heart.
In this moment, I’m complete. Everything I love most is in this room.
My perfect, beautiful little family. It’s all I need. It’s all I ever want.
“Do you have a name picked out?” one of the nurses asks.
I glance over to Tim. We never settled on a boy’s name. If the baby was a girl, we decided to name her Maeve. I squint, pulling some of the names that neither of us disliked from my brain. “Ryan?”
Tim leans over and reaches his large hand over the baby, moving the blanket lower to examine his face. “He doesn’t look like a Ryan. Does he?”
I want to laugh. Does a baby ever look like their name until it’s given? Instead, I stare at my child and nod. “What about Jack? Or Jackson?”
Tim’s gaze darts to mine and his lips smirk. “You know that one didn’t make our list.”
“Well, I still love it.” I chuckle.
“What about Tim?”
All humor fades at his suggestion. My pulse skips a beat, and my love for this man doubles. He wants to give this child his name—a child who’s not biologically his. Tears form in my eyes, clouding my vision before they fall freely down my face. “You want to give him your name?”
“Oh, Cass.” Tim reaches into his back pocket and pulls a handkerchief out to wipe away my tears. “I want to give him everything. I want to give you both the world.”
“Timothy Wilder Junior,” I say aloud, my voice breaking with emotion.
“It has a nice ring, doesn’t it?” Tim smiles.
“It does.”
“We’re going to give you some time to rest,” one of the nurses interrupts. “But we’re just down the hall if you need anything.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Tim says. When the hospital staff leave the room, I scoot to one side of the hospital bed and pat the empty space so Tim can join us. With his arms around me, I relax into his side and give in to the exhaustion from the day.
“We should probably call our families.” Tim says. “They’re gonna be so thrilled to come meet this little guy.”
“In a few minutes.” I sigh with contentment.
We stay wrapped together, our child in my arms, our family unit in our bubble away from the world.
I’m not na?ve. I know a marriage takes hard work and dedication.
Raising a family isn’t easy. But together, we will take on the world.
We’re going to make it through whatever life throws our way, because there is nothing we can’t handle.
Tim clears his throat. “It’s probably not the best time to ask . . . but do you think you want do to this again? Have more children, that is?”
I grin up at him. “Yeah, I would like more. Do you want a big family?”
“I would love a big family with you.”
A vision of us in the future dances in my mind. Us rocking on the front porch swing of his parents’ ranch house, surrounded by our children, laughter and joy in our hearts. Maybe we have a few dogs. A cat too. “I’d like a big garden.”
“You can have whatever you want, sweetheart. I’ll work every day to give you everything your heart desires.”
I believe him—that he’ll do anything to keep our family together. To keep us safe. He’s not about empty promises. He married me, and he’s giving this child his name. I don’t deserve him.
“Do you have any regrets?” Doubt threatens to steal my good mood. “About this? About rushing into marriage?”
“Not at all.” His gaze is as steady as his words. “Any path that leads me to this—one that leads to you becoming my wife and starting a life together—is one I’d choose again.”
“Thank you for loving me.” Tears well in my eyes as I admire our baby. “For loving him. For loving us.”
“Oh, Cass.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “You never need to thank me for that. Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
THE END
Thank you for reading Born Wild, Tim and Cassie’s story.